I am finally done with the master cleanse. It feels really refreshing. I feel like a lot of negative energy was just washed away once I started eating again. The master cleanse consists of the following: Drinking a gallon of this weird lemonade every day: 7 lemons (small), 1 1/2 cups grade b maple syrup, and 1 1/5 teaspoon of cayenne pepper. Every night you drink senna tea before bed which is a laxative. It kicks in when you wake up and have to slam 32 ounces of salt water. It was definately a test of will for 10 days.

I had my first road race of the season a week before I started the cleanse. I had a lot of fun but I made a stupid move sprinting off the front too early on in the race and it cost me. I ended up getting close to last which was a bummer but I have plenty of room for improvement.

I have been reading a book called "The Thrive Diet", which is an awesome book about sports nutrition. It's an almost entirely raw diet, it's completely vegan, and it sounds great for boosting my performance and recovery time in between training. It was written by a professional vegan triathlete, and it's full of great information on the physiological processes that convert food into fuel and muscle. In a nutshell it talks about reducing levels of stress in your body to recover more quickly, and the greatest amount of stress that your body receives is the stress that comes from food which is lacking in nutrition.

Well, Obama is stepping into the presidential office today. I'm pretty grateful to have George Bush out of office. I feel like the new administration will do better than the bush administration, but I feel like it doesn't matter. The corporate agenda will still be pushed upon the world. I think it's good that more money will probably be funded towards good causes like education, health care, and environmental protection, but to what avail? It's like someone trying to buy your love. Spending more money to clean up oil spills isn't going to stop them completely, spending more money on education isn't going to stop poverty, spending more money on health care isn't going to stop it from being privatized in the first place. Real sustainable solutions require you to step outside of the framework of capitalism and industrialized corporatism. I'm not claiming to know the solutions, but it makes sense to me that there are basic human rights which should not be privileges of those who can afford it, such as health care. Instead of spending more trying to clean up our mess every time we have an environmental disaster, why not engineer clean fuels, and non-toxic alternatives to nasty chemicals. So I think that in a small sense things will get better than they were, but it's not enough for me to get excited about.

So today I'm taking a vow to follow the 5th precept of Buddhism. http://ping.fm/eu5oU It's the precept of not taking intoxicants. This can literally mean no drugs, alcohol, caffeine, etc, but you can also apply it to other things which intoxicate the mind such as certain television programs, magazines, books, films and conversations. I quit drinking coffee yesterday and read a bit about Thich Nhat Hahn's view on the 5th precept and found it very insightful. I've been talking to Alicia and she has been telling me about how she has been sober for a while now. Although, she's merely refraining from the use of drugs and alcohol. I repsect her for that though, as there aren't many people who I know of that are my age who follow that path. I think that it is crucial for my meditation practice that I be clear minded for the process. The insight that is gained through meditation cannot properly be implemented in everyday life's events without that clear mind. I'm really excited about it, and I think that honestly it may very well strengthen the relationships that I have with a lot of people. I feel like my body is mine, yet, it is not merely mine. It was created by my parents, and my ancestors, and I owe it to them and my future generations to only intake that which nourishes the mind and body. I feel like this is something that I really want, not something that I'm following blindly. I feel like I'm on the beginning of an amazing path. I'm getting back into computer science, and I will be creating a networking lab to experiment with all kinds of different networking and software scenarios. Last night was eventful. Someone lady vandalized the coffee shop that I live above. Also, a doctor a few houses down was killed in the same night. Apparently he was stabbed to death by his 36 year old son. The doctor was 63. Makes for a weird day.

Last night I went to the Dia Dora Vida show. It was pretty cool. Max and Ben G's new band sounded alright, they used some really funny samples in between songs and at the end. Reminded me of some Matt Flynn antics. Wasn't digging RFS, those guys should throw in the towel already. DDV was really good, Dan is an amazing drummer and I think he is the core of their sound. I hung out with Hilary which was cool. I thought it was kind of awkward seeing kids that I never see outside of shows, like kids that used to come to the everyday house. They're all cool, but it's just weird seeing some of them. I felt like a jerk because I don't really care about some of them but then you're almost forced to pretend to so as to not be rude. I'm feeling unbalanced right now, and unscheduled. I need more rigidity in my life. More structure. Unfortunately, I'm torn because Hilary has the opposite effect on me. I like her a lot, but I feel like she cuts into my schedule while I'm really trying to gain balance by adhering to a more rigid schedule. We'll see what happens, but I feel an awkward air of change coming. Who knows what it means.

I had an epic ride yesterday. I rode with about 16 people and we went up and did cascade drop. You ride all the way up Rampart Range Road until you hit the backside of waldo canyon. It's a really fun ride and the weather was perfect. Upper 60s. I raced up the climb and did well for the first half of the climb. I then crumbled and had to hang out with Tori and Hurley for the rest of the climb. I did really well on the descent. I cleared some obstacles that I normally would even think about trying. That was pretty cool. I made it down the "Bitch Slap" which is this crazy steep slick rock piece. You have to get over some obstacles just to be set up to try that piece. I attempted another obstacle called "The Impaler" but bailed half way through. Everyone on a 26 got a flat, and everyone on a 29er was fine, haha. What a great last big ride of the season.

So things are going ok right now. I recently got promoted at my job to doing internet and phone sales. I basically take orders for stuff and file paperwork all day. There are perks and bummers, but it all balances out. I feel a little frustrated due to the added responsibilities of my current position, but it's just going to be something that I'll have to work through. I've been meditating a little bit more lately which has had an affect on my ability to dedicate my full attention to the present moment. The living situation is going well, I'm getting along with my roommate really well and I feel like we're slowly becoming better friends. Right now I'm bummed at my eating habits. Since there aren't any health food stores near work, I've been eating really crappy processed foods because there is a target near my work, and I get commercial processed everything there. I feel a need to reconnect with cooking whole foods. I'm trying to get my head on straight enough to cook a large enough dinner every night in order to have leftover lunches that are healthy. I sometimes forget the direct correlation between food consumption and mental health. I've been a little stressed out because of the fact that I'm 23 and I'm still uncertain about what I want to do as a career. I like the industry that I'm in, but I have growing concerns about old age. Will I be working a job until I die? I want to find a satisfying career that will allow me to retire when I become old. I guess it doesn't really matter, and we all just live day by day until death, but the prospect of being able to escape from having to work away your entire life sounds nice. I kind of feel like it's too late for me to commit to any career, as if you have to start on a given path during teenage years. I know that it's only delusion, but I can't help but feel that way. I'll work through all of those nasty feelings though, it's just deep stuff that I don't want to deal with.

This past week or so has been very intense. Last Wednesday two friends of mine were killed while riding their bicycles. Jayson and EJ. Jayson I didn't know too well outside of work, but EJ was a hero of mine. I looked up to him years back before he befriended me. He taught me how to ride mountain bikes, and we rode the elephant rock century ride on single speed road bikes. I had a great summer with him, and I'm so sad to have lost such a great person. A 64 year old woman who was drunk, on pills, and had a restricted license hit them head on. It has deeply affected many people in my life, and the cycling community here is mourning. I really want all of my friends to know that I love all of you, and we all should not hesitate in living our lives to the fullest. I miss you EJ, you are a wonderful human being.

I work at Moutain Mama now. That's bad ass. I'm fighting my first court case and it's going well. Gotta go.

Well, I'm 21 now and it has been fun. I'm moving into the We Us Our in a few days and I'm excited about it. I'll have more time to dedicate to all of the community projects in town. Also, I'm hopping a train to pueblo soon, and at the end of the month I'll hopping to the grand canyon. It's definately going to a great experience. I work at a nursery now watering and moving all sorts of plants. It's really awesome and it has been making me pretty happy.

I hate Craig. Yeah.... on the leechpit. So much!!!!! check this dude out... myspace.com/midicishuge myspace.com/craigsings

And I'm not too bummed out. It's weird.... Work is going to be eeeeezaaaay!